Violence in The Kite Runner Essay Example

Savagery in The Kite Runner Paper In The Kite Runner, savagery assumes an enormous job to create both the characters and the story. Scenes, for example, assault, murder and incredibly vicious whippings are happily delineated and you can obviously perceive how those scenes come to influence the character improvement. The epic portrays the life of Amir and his contribution with the rough scenes in the book. The tale additionally depicts how much noteworthiness a solitary occasion in somebody’s life can have on their future self, particularly assault. The first run through assault is depicted in the book is where Hassan, Amir’s cherished companion, are assaulted by a referred to menace known as Assef. Amir and Hassan had recently taken an interest in a kite battling competition and they fortunately won. Hassan flees to discover the kite for Amir and discovers him being held somewhere around Assef and his companions. Here, Amir can either meddle in the assault, or run and stow away, and he picks the last one. This decision will come to influence and shape a mind-blowing remainder. The memory of seeing Hassan being assaulted, and him not helping his companion will develop coerce within him. The blame will keep developing until he can't deal with it any longer and feels like he needs to make up for himself. This specific assault isn't the primary occurrence where assault happens, and Amir is later helped to remember his decision while getting away to Palestine with his dad Baba when a lady is almost assaulted. His dad forestal ls this and Amir is reminded about his foul choice and furthermore about how unique Amir is from his dad. About a similar time, Amir is told about the assault of Kamal, a kid Amir used to know. These two occasions improves the blame he previously felt and it becomes much more. Further down the road, Amir will glance back at the areas of assault in his life and will contrast it with a coin possibly demonstrating the upside when tossed; â€Å"What was the well-known adage about the awful penny? My past was that way, continually turning up† (Hosseini 2003, p.281). Later in the story, Amir and his dad arr We will compose a custom article test on Violence in The Kite Runner explicitly for you for just $16.38 $13.9/page Request now We will compose a custom exposition test on Violence in The Kite Runner explicitly for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Recruit Writer We will compose a custom exposition test on Violence in The Kite Runner explicitly for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Recruit Writer

Arthur Andersen after Enron Scandal Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Arthur Andersen after Enron Scandal - Essay Example In spite of the demise of its author, the firm figured out how to keep growing. The base of the customers rose to 50,000 from 2,300 in the years 1947-1973 with workplaces in Chicago expanding to in excess of 1,500 representatives from 250. The late hundreds of years of the twentieth saw, the extension of the firm globally making a division for discussion with the board that is quickly developing. Arthur Company was viewed as one of the huge five organizations on the planet until the company’s inclusion in a criminal case that saw its ruin. The fundamental explanation behind picking this organization is on the grounds that, notwithstanding the organization being associated with different embarrassments, it figured out how to rise again following 12 years.  The organization confronted different moral issues that prompted its destruction in 2001. One of them was directing the illicit review for Enron Company, the goliath organization in vitality that planned for concealing billions of dollars that were lost at the vitality firm (Titcomb Par. 4). As indicated by the Enron council, the evaluation of the review that was done uncovered that Andersen Company neglected to satisfy the obligations of its calling with respect to the review the organization directed on the fiscal report for Enron. Andersen was along these lines indicted for wrecking records that were delivered in the wake of reviewing, which forestalled equity as indicated by Enron’s claims. The conviction was anyway reexamined later after two supervisors from Andersen and Enron Company were seen as liable for requesting the destroying of the pertinent archives. This outrage was before Andersen connected with a math of Brickyard with its laborer Gagel that to the organiz ation was a history however it demonstrated the capacity of Andersen to complete its work with flawlessness. The block occurrence was whereby a youthful evaluator was sent on an assignment that was his every day schedule to find out stock of blocks million in number that was heating in the sun in Marion.

Integrated Project Plan

Integrated Project Plan Marketing Model Nov 16, 2018 in Coursework Four Components for Project Work An integrated project plan contains the data that support what the project want to achieve, how it intend to achieve its goals, who is to be involved in ensuring it achieve, its plans and also how much is to be used during the operations of the project. Marketing mix model is one of the most effective of a kind that have stood up to the test of time. This model has four components that help each project owners and implementers to effectively develop their project work. This integrated project plan maximizes the probability of achieving the project objectives using these four components. Marketing refers to the process by which value of goods can be transferred to consumers through making them consume the product. One of the key factors to consider during marketing while using the 4ps marketing model is the product. Every organization must keenly make products constantly demanded by consumers; in the case of this project the key product that the project wants to offer to its customers is massive entertainment. The project plans to organize a fun and enjoyable event with a sole aim of rising up additional funds. When the invited and expected customers get entertained on that specified fun day, they will derive an emotional and leisure satisfaction. The satisfaction from the attendance serves the same purpose with the pleasure that customers get when they consume a specified product in the market.

Totalitarian Society As Showed Essay - 702 Words

Totaliterainism found in Animal Farm George Orwell ¹s story, Animal Farm, is a satire of Soviet Russia. In a more general sense, however, the story traces the rise and fall of any totalitarian regime. All of the animals on Animal Farm somehow contribute to either the creation, destruction, or temporary success of the totalitarian government. The original goal of the Animal Farm society is a socialist society, but it turns bad. As the animals begin the Animal Farm society, everyone is equal. As time passes, it is realized that of all the animals, the pigs are the smartest. This is slowly the beginning of Animal Farm moving froma socialistic socoety to a totalitarian society. Snowball and Napolean are two pigs who are constantly arguing†¦show more content†¦Boxer was perhaps the worst victim of this deception. Boxer, a big strong horse, was very excited by the revolution. His motto was  ³I will work harder. ² He would get up early in the morning to do extra work because he wanted the farm to prosper. Sometimes when things did not always seem right, he would think about it for a while and then blame things that went wrong on the animals having done something wrong. Once, after several animals were slaughtered for committing  ³crimes ²l he said after thinking for a long time,  ³I do not understand it. I would notthave believed that such things could happen on our farm. It must be due to some fault in ourselves. The solution, as I see it, is to work harder. From now onward, I shall get up a full hour earlier in the mornings ² (94). Boxer represents the people who do not fight for rights but just accept things as they are. He worked harder than anyone his whole time on the farm. Of the pigs and aside from Napolean, probably the most influential contributer to the success of the totalitarian society was Squealer. Squealer was used by Napolean as a propagandist. Squealer had the most contact with the other animals and whenever another animal would be a little confused about things going on on the farm, Squealer would reassure them and use the sheep as help. The sheep would belt out the phrase,  ³Four legs good, two legs bad! ² or  ³Four legs good, two legs better! ² as it became known, and thisShow MoreRelatedEssay about Stalins Russia717 Words   |  3 PagesTo what extent was a totalitarian state established in the USSR in the 1930s? From the start of Stalins self-imposed reign of control he always had the makings as a leader to create a totalitarian government, for example his ideology. Stalin wanted his people to believe that he cared for them. Its interesting to say his because it refers to the sense that Stalin himself believed he owned the Russian people which completely contradicts a lot of what he did and the reasons for whichRead MorePrivacy And Privacy In 19841630 Words   |  7 Pagesby George Orwell, privacy was a very rare thing and not a lot of people were able to have it. The book was based in a city named Oceania, which was controlled by a totalitarian government with its leader being Big Brother. In this dystopia, the citizens have no control over their lives. Privacy was never fully granted by the totalitarian government. To make sure the citizens were being loyal to their government, they were constantly being watched whether they liked it or not. They didn’t have a choiceRead MoreAnalys is Of George Orwell s The Last Novel Essay1651 Words   |  7 Pagesinability to be his own person led Winston to rebel against the totalitarian government. Being controlled by a government can affect your way of thinking, it can make you react to situations differently than how you intended to do so, it is a type of manipulation. This can be seen in the renowned novel and the last novel written by George Orwell, 1984 through the main protagonist Winston Smith. He is under the control of a totalitarian government and he then starts to rebel against the governmentRead MoreTotalitarianism in Pre-War Europe Essay979 Words   |  4 Pagesyears 1918-1939. This period saw many ideologies being developed and put into practice, and many even blame the rise of totalitarian states and aggressive, autocratic leaders for the Second World War. Totalitarianism is often associated with regimes in which there is one leader and party unquestionably in power with no significant rivals. In a totalitarian state, the ideology of the party is often firmly indoctrinated. The term was first used in 1925 to describe a socio-politicalRead MoreGeorge Orwell s Brave New World And 19841537 Words   |  7 Pagesaddress the major oppressive issues by composing futuristic dystopian novels. Their societies, whether it be London or Oceania, were created in order to emphasize humanistic values. In the novels Brave New World and 1984, the authors display the resemblances and disparities of modern ideals. Both of Huxley and Orwell’s viewpoint of relationships, technology, and brainwashing reveal the underlying theme that a totalitarian state is dangerous; displaying them in various ways. For instance, the two shareRead MoreCharacteristics of a Totalitarian Government Portrayed in the Film, Citizen Kane1714 Words   |  7 Pages1930’s and the early 1940’s. The main character, Charles Foster Kane is portrayed as a character that is similar to the totalitarian dictators that came about during this time period, such as Adolf Hitler. Totalitarian dictatorships have the goals of creating unity among the masses and obtaining control over individuals and society. There are three key characteristics of totalitarian governments that are portrayed in the film Citizen Kane. This form of government uses propaganda to sway the opinionRead MoreWorld War II : A Totalitarian Government Essay1646 Words   |  7 Pagessystem behind many countries. The totalitarian form of government began with the reign of Joseph Stalin, the dictator of The Soviet Union, and Adolf Hitler, the dictator of Germany. A totalitarian government is known as a society that is run by a dictator, but not all dictatorships are from a totalitarian government (4.). Those living in a totalitarian society have little to no freedom and are controlled by the government. Another word to refer to the totalitarian government system is the word fascismRead MoreAkshat Katoch. Mrs. Hollstein. Ap Lang. 16 March 2017.1643 Words   |  7 Pagessocialist, wrote the â€Å"Communist Manifesto† which presented th e idea of Communism. In this political ideal, property is publicly owned and workers are paid to extent of their abilities and needs. Nowhere does the theory state dictatorship or any type of totalitarian government. This revolutionary speculation remains as Russia’s greatest achievements in history and unforgotten. However when Vladimir Lenin took control of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics in 1917, he spread terror among the land causingRead MoreCommentary Analysis of George Orwell ´s Novel: 1984897 Words   |  4 PagesOrwell, the author depicts the perfect totalitarian society, a society that has absolute control over everything pertaining to its people. The title of the novel, 1984, was meant to indicate to its readers in 1949 that the story represented a real possibility for the immediate future. If totalitarianism was not fought against, there was an actual risk that a similar civilization could come about. By demonstrating what a tyrannical society would be like, Orwell showed the control and power a governmentRead MoreEuropean Totalitarianism During World War I1564 Words   |  7 Pagesgovernments that had some form of variance in their authority, but each nation proceeded to establish totalitarian governments. Russia was the first in which a totalitarianism state was established. Totalitarianism allowed the government to control every aspect of citizens’ lives. European totalitarianism experienced both strengths and weaknesses that affected citizens and rulers alike. As totalitarians came to power, they began recognizing and dealing with the issues with the â€Å"free market† ethics of

Evaluating the impact of E-Marketing - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 7 Words: 2067 Downloads: 7 Date added: 2017/06/26 Category Marketing Essay Type Analytical essay Level High school Did you like this example? Evaluating the impact of E-Marketing Introduction The development of e-marketing has been one of the most important and influential trends in the field of business, marketing and Information Technology offer the past decade. It has revolutionised the manner in which certain businesses market their products and the advent of social media offers the potential to revolutionise the manner in which businesses and consumers interact in the future. This essay will evaluate the impact of e-marketing upon businesses and will do so in three clear sections. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Evaluating the impact of E-Marketing" essay for you Create order The first section of the essay will define the concept of e-marketing and the second section will examine how e-marketing helps businesses to reach their customers. The third and final section will highlight some of the most important advantages and disadvantages of e-marketing. The conclusion will argue that the impact of e-marketing upon businesses has been largely positive and that despite a number of potential problems e-marketing offers exciting new opportunities for business growth and development. Defining the concept of e-marketing In the first section of this essay it is important to clearly define the concept of e-marketing. This is a vital task, because in order to be able to fully understand how e-marketing affects businesses and their customers it is important that the notion of e-Marketing is first of all adequately defined. Patricelli argues that e-marketing is a general term used to denote a wide array of different Internet-related activities. These include â€Å"website building and promotion, consumer communications, e-mail marketing and newsgroup advertising† (Patricelli 2002: p.141). However, the term e-marketing has developed enormously over the past decade and today it encompasses a far wider range of activities and one of the most important of these is the use of social media in order to advertise online. Pride settles on an altogether more comprehensive definition of e-marketing, stating that he understands the concept as referring to the â€Å"strategic process of creating, distributi ng, promoting and pricing products for targeted customers in the virtual environment of the Internet† (Pride 2010: p.70). E-marketing is best understood as a broad concept and one that has gained additional platforms in recent years with the advent of smart phones and tablets such as the iPad. As a result, the notion of e-marketing is defined most clearly when it is understood as referring to the creation, distribution, promotion, pricing and communication of products across the entirety of the Internet and the wide variety of platforms that constitute the Internet in a modern context. How does e-marketing help businesses reach their customers? E-marketing helps businesses reach their customers in a wide variety of different ways. Boone claims that the Internet offers businesses the chance to reach their customers in a number of unique ways and that one of the most important of these is the global reach of the consumer base that the Internet is able to provide. According to Boone, â€Å"the net eliminates geographic protections and limitations of local businesses and it gives smaller firms a wider audience† (Boone 2011: p.105). It is for this reason that the Internet is often seen as being inextricably linked to the wider force of economic globalisation, which some economists see as being responsible for the increasing retrenchment of the nation state and the rising power of non-state actors such as multinational corporations (MNCs). The ability to reach customers connected to the Internet anywhere in the world is seen as an enormous benefit to businesses in their quest to reach, attract and retain customers. Anoth er way in which e-marketing helps businesses to reach their consumer bases is the extent to which it is able to further personalised marketing. It allows businesses to create products that â€Å"meet customer specifications† and in recent years the advance of this type of marketing in particular has been seen as perhaps the most significant long-term development in the course of e-marketing (Boone 2011: p.105). Through the use of social media, for example, business analysts believe that corporations may well be to harness enough information in order to tailor products, services and critically search engine results in such a way that consumers will be automatically attracted to them, because the products and services shown will be of interest either to them personally or to their close friends on social networking websites. However, even in the absence of such sophisticated targeting techniques certain websites such as Amazon have made great strides in personalising content to individual users, as Chaffey explains. â€Å"Amazon is the most widely known example where the customer is greeted by name on the website and receives recommendations on site and in their emails based on previous purchases† (Chaffey 2009: p.32). Boone argues that e-marketing offers other important ways for businesses to reach their customers including the use of interactive marketing and integrated marketing. Interactive marketing is a form of marketing in which the advertising process is driven by buyer-seller communication and where the â€Å"customer controls the amount and type of information received from the marketer† (Boone 2011: p.106). Integrated marketing refers to a type of marketing strategy in which all promotional and communication efforts are combined in order to create a unified and consumer-centric promotion campaign. It is clear; therefore, that e-marketing offers a wide variety of different ways for businesses to reach consumers. What are the advantages and disadvantages of e-marketing for businesses? E-marketing has a number of important advantages that make the adoption of e-marketing approaches and strategies attractive for businesses. One powerful argument in favour of e-marketing revolves around the cost and speed of this approach to marketing and Jones argues that these two factors in particular set e-marketing apart from other marketing approaches. â€Å"There is much evidence that makes a case for marketing electronically because of the cost-benefit ratio and the speed-to-market advantage† (Jones 2008: p.304). However, it is important to understand that e-marketing is only a cheap option when one considers it in the context of the size of advertising budgets that large firms used to have in relation to television and radio advertising. Whilst small e-marketing campaigns may be cheap, any larger scale campaign is likely to still incur a significant cost, but some of the other most important advantages of e-marketing ensure that this approach to advertising has beco me increasingly popular in recent years. These advantages mainly revolve around the ability of this form of marketing to collect information and deploy it in unique ways. The increased ability to garner data and critically the ability to analyse this data in relation to consumers is something that offers businesses many valuable insights into not only their marketing campaigns, but also their business strategies as a whole. In fact, in certain cases e-marketing has developed to such an extent that certain businesses are able to make vast profits by offering comparisons between different websites, websites that are commonly referred to as comparison websites. These companies have no discernible products of their own and instead they offer a service in which they â€Å"are uniquely equipped with product listings, consumer reviews, store ratings, and personal shopping lists that offer creative shopping options to consumers on the Internet† (Lebson 2011: p.10). Examples of suc h comparison websites include Money Supermarket, Compare the Market and Go Compare and once these businesses have built their infrastructure their business model revolves almost exclusively around collecting consumer data and maximising SEO (Search Engine Optimisation). Comparison websites are therefore in one sense one of the most pure examples of e-marketing, because their business models rely almost exclusively upon effective e-marketing to target customers. E-marketing offers further important advantages including the ability to reduce costs via the use of automation and software programs and also allows marketers and consumers to interact in a far faster fashion than would be the case when using traditional means of communication. However, the analysis above has already touched upon one significant advantage of e-marketing that has great potential to evolve substantially in the future. The use social networking and social media in particular offers enormous potential to markete rs and opens the door to revolutionary changes in the way customers and businesses interact with one another. The impact that social media websites such as Facebook and Twitter have had upon the way in which people use the Internet has been evident in the past few years and Rana argues that the user-driven, community orientated way in which social media communicates leads to a different type of Internet, full of organic content and user-friendly websites (Rana 2009: p.255). Businesses are thus far only scratching the surface of how to exploit such new opportunities, but Facebook for example offers an advertising service that allow businesses to target individuals based on a range of different criteria. Such adverts therefore are targeted at particular consumers in a much more focused way than even adverts traditionally used on Google, known as Google Ads (Facebook, 2011). However, despite the numerous advantages of e-marketing businesses must be aware of the fact that e-marketing also presents businesses with a number of potential pitfalls. Certain businesses such as the comparison websites listed above rely completely upon the Internet to the extent that without technology they would actually have no business. Clearly, the Internet will not go away, however the dependency upon technology is something that can cause Internet-centric businesses major problems and also make them vulnerable to a wide range of different cyber attacks (Liebsch 2009: p.87). Another disadvantage of e-marketing has become particularly apparent in recent years and is inextricably connected with the rise of social media. Whilst social media has the potential to offer many e-marketing benefits, businesses must also beware of the danger that poor reviews and poor customer service can have upon their operations. The opinions of one disgruntled customer can go viral at lightning speed and therefore irrevocably undermine a particular business, product or service in an instant. This type o f increased transparency also manifests itself in other ways and leads to a situation in which consumers are empowered to search for the lowest prices from a wide range of different online businesses. The fact that the Internet offers an almost unlimited consumer base is one of its clear advantages, but its global reach also affects the competition that businesses experience and as a result online businesses are likely to face stiff competition and many other companies highly competent in their e-marketing expertise. As a result, companies must focus upon distinctive e-marketing strategies and campaigns that differentiate themselves from their competitors in order to be able to cope with the extent of the competition that can be found online in todays marketplace. Conclusion In conclusion, this essay has clearly shown that e-marketing impacts upon businesses in a number of important ways. When used effectively, e-marketing campaigns and strategies have the potential to reach customers in a speedy and low-cost manner and can provide promotion for a wide range of products and services. E-marketing also offers businesses the opportunity to garner data about their consumer base to an extent that has hitherto been very difficult to achieve via traditional marketing methods. The development of e-marketing and social media advertising has led to examples of businesses in recent years that appear to little more than categorise and filter information relating to products and services on the Internet, taking a small cut from any transaction that may occur as a result. However, despite the global reach, speed and the extent of information that can be gained from e-marketing there are a number of important disadvantages to this type of marketing that businesses mu st bear in mind. The technology driven approach of e-marketing leaves certain businesses vulnerable and overly-dependent upon technology. It also empowers dissatisfied consumers to a far greater extent than ever before and can lead to bad reviews that have the potential to greatly destabilise certain e-marketing campaigns and operations. However, despite these problems it is reasonable to conclude that e-marketing is on the whole a positive development for businesses and that despite certain dangers its impact upon businesses has been largely positive. Bibliography 1. Boone, L., 2011. Contemporary marketing. London: Cencage 2. Chaffey, D., 2009. Internet marketing. London: Pearson 3. Facebook, 2011. Facebook Adverts. https://www.facebook.com/advertising/?campaign_id=214294157440placement=exactcreative=5811616952keyword=facebook+adsextra_1=66df06ba-739c-b0c8-f265-00003f94ac68 Accessed 05/01/2012 4. Jones, S., 2008. Business-to-business. London: Maximum 5. Lebson, S., 2011. Intellectual property operations and implementation in the 21st Century. Oxford: Blackwell 6. Patricelli, F., 2002. E-business and e-challenges. London: IOS 7. Pride, W., 2010. Marketing Express. London: Cencage 8. Rana, N., 2009. E-marketing intelligence. London: E-Marketing Intelligence

Water and National Best Farmer Free Essays

Part A Essay Writing Answer one question only from this part. 1. Write a letter to the Member of Parliament of your constituency telling him/her about the rise in armed robbery in your area. We will write a custom essay sample on Water and National Best Farmer or any similar topic only for you Order Now Suggest at least two ways to check it. 2. Write a story which ends with the sentence: We arrived just in time to save the situation. 3. Your father has received the â€Å"National Best Farmer’s Award†. Write a letter to your brother who is outside the country, describing the ceremony. Part B Comprehension 4. Read the following passage carefully and answer all the questions. Cholera is a very dangerous disease which can kill many people within a short time. Indeed, it has ruined several communities particularly in developing countries. It must therefore be prevented at all costs. The disease is generally spread by germs which thrive in filthy and unhygienic areas. There could be an outbreak of cholera when drinking water becomes polluted by floods after a downpour. Human carriers also cause the disease to spread from place to place. For example, a person carrying the cholera germs would vomit or pass frequent stools. Flies would then carry the germs on their hairy legs and deposit then on exposed food or in water. When a person eats this contaminated food or drinks the polluted water, he or she is likely to contact the disease unknowingly. On the whole, the main symptoms of cholera are severe diarrhoea and vomiting, which may result in loss of weight. The stool tends to be watery. As a lot of fluid is lost from the body, the patient quickly becomes dehydrated, thin and weak. The rapid loss of body fluid can soon result in death, unless the loss is fluid is replaced immediately. The first thing for the patient to do is to replenish as much fluid as is lost by taking, from time to time, boiled water which has been allowed to cool and mixed with salt and sugar. Then, he should seek medical attention. a) Where do cholera germs usually breed? ) Mention the two main carriers of cholera germs. c) (i) State the two signs of cholera (ii)Give one effect of the disease d) What advice does the writer give to the cholera patient? e) Explain the following expressions in your own words: (i) It has ruined several communities; (ii) At all costs; (iii) After a downpour f) For each of the following words, give another word or phrase that means the same or can fit into the passage. (i) Thrive; (ii) Deposit; (iii) Rapid; (iv) Replenish; (v) Seek; How to cite Water and National Best Farmer, Papers

The Bitter and the Sweet free essay sample

The candy’s smooth wrapper crinkles as I trace its edges with my fingertips, imagining its contents. The wrapper tears like a fine fabric, revealing a corner of dark chocolate. I break off a piece and take pleasure in its creamy essence. I have always had a sweet tooth, but it is not just sugary snacks that I crave. Being raised by a single parent has been a bittersweet experience, but one that has given me resilience and ambition. When I was young, my mother would tell me that the racks of candy in the store’s checkout line belonged to the cashier. She said this not to confuse me, avoid spoiling me, or even to teach me a lesson about earning rewards, though she inevitably did. She said it because she didn’t want me to worry because she could not afford a 50-cent chocolate bar. Nevertheless, I saw through her tactic and made a promise to myself that I would grow up to be prosperous enough to buy my family all the Hersheys on the stand. We will write a custom essay sample on The Bitter and the Sweet or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Instead of focusing on our economic instability, my mother selflessly pushed me to strive for success so that I could lead a more comfortable life than hers. She worked long hours every night and struggled to pay the minimum due on her bills. Still, she would find time to read and snuggle with my sister, Emily, and me. Mom taught me the value of perseverance, education, and moral fiber. Although I did not have two parents, I was loved and nurtured just as much. Not all of life’s milestones were easy; some left an insurmountably bitter taste in my mouth. Domestic abuse, divorce, and homelessness, for example. I dealt with these when my mother married a man in Maryland and moved us several states away from our roots in Georgia. The first few months were great: baseball games, family trips to the mall, dinners together, and movies. It felt like we were the perfect All-American family. Then things changed. Baseball games were too expensive, and trips to the mall were replaced with days Emily and I spent isolated in our rooms on his orders. Screaming matches between my stepfather and my mother interrupted dinners, and he swapped movie tickets for vodka. We spent five years living in a family setting that had turned into a war zone. I remember the verbal spats became so routine that I would no longer rush to my little sister’s room to cradle her in my arms and wipe away the tears spilling down her cheeks. Emily and I grew so used to this lifestyle that we just turned on the televisions in our rooms to drown out the screams. We became immersed in the world of sugar-coated sitcoms, pretending the spiteful cursing matches downstairs were normal. Then one evening, an argument erupted. My sister and I had begun to predict the start of these altercations. We called our system ETF, Estimated Time of Fight, named for its accuracy. Emily joked about patenting it some day. But on this night my mother swung open my bedroom door and told me to pack – we were leaving and not coming back. I could hear Emily sobbing in her room. We loaded our things into Mom’s Ford, my step ­father barking hatefully all the while. We drove for a long time before Mom pulled into the parking lot of a large store. I gazed out the window, watching people carry bags to their cars and head off to their warm homes. They were oblivious to our bittersweet tears. They had no idea how relieved and traumatized we felt, all at the same time. I was 14, my sister 11, school was still in session, and we were homeless. â€Å"We’re not the first people to go through this, and we won’t be the last,† Mom assured us. A friend of my mother’s let us stay with her. Each day, Mom would wake us before dawn so we could commute from Virginia to Maryland for our last three months of school. I remember looking out at the gleaming Washington Monument from the Potomac bridge, wondering how many others in the nation had suffered in silence. How many had packed up and moved on? We eventually relocated to Texas, where Mom is still working to re-stabilize her life. And now, as I compose this essay with some dark chocolate – my favorite candy – close at hand, I realize my family and I are at the best point in our lives. I have triumphed here, both academically and personally. I  ­satiate my hunger for knowledge by remaining dedicated to my intellectual pursuits – for example, the Distinguished Graduation Plan with its rigorous course of study and community service, and the learning opportunities it offers. I savor the fact that I am not a bitter product of my environment; I am not a person who lets trying times interrupt her focus, for I know that they are learning experiences also. Success, like candy, can be the sweetest treat of all. Visitors to TeenInk.com/raw chose this story by voting for their favorite. Go online to cast your vote!